A Thousand Words
by nyaaaaaauuuuuuuu
Summary: A series of short, unconnected explorations. Maybe they'll become stories.
1. Sunset

Disclaimer: Oh, boy, am I drabbling, too?

Dedications: To all my lovely, lovely reviewers: HorridlyTruthful25, Knock-on-Wood, Icy Discordia, DawnLove, and Blackberry.You make me keep wanting to write more and more. p.s. Blackberry, if you're reading this, I am working on longer stories, but, as I'm sure you know, it's sloooooow going.

And now, On With The Show.

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Sunset

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"Rin."

"Hai, Sesshoumaru-sama!"

"Manners."

"Hai, Sesshoumaru-sama!" Then, in all innocence,"What manners?"

"Sit properly."

"Oooh. Okay," she tucked her feet beneath her and rolled up onto her knees, "Is Rin sitting correctly now, Sesshoumaru-sama?"

Sesshoumaru looked at her out of the corner of his eye, but said nothing. Rin correctly interpreted this as "Yes."

"Hah. Stupid little human, can't even..." grumbled Jaken, eyeing the little girl balefully.

Rin, who had quickly grown out of being intimidated by the small demon, retorted gleefully, "Can _too_, Jaken-sama. Sesshoumaru-sama _said_ so."

"Sesshoumaru-sama said nothing of the sort, you little liar!"

"Well, Sesshoumaru-sama _looked_ so. Same thing! So there!"

"He di- still- well, you should have done it right the _first_ time, brat!" sputtered Jaken.

Sesshoumaru, who had been contemplating the forest at the edge of the clearing, allowed himself to feel surprised. Did they know him so well? Was is so strange that they should? No, no, it didn't feel strange at all. In fact, it felt rather, might one say - pleasing? Perhaps. Perhaps not.The youkai lord felt something welling up in his chest, and decided, on a whim, to let it loose.

On the edge of the forest at sunset, Sesshoumaru chuckled.

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Wahah! I have finally discovered the "ruler" button! HAH! I pwn you, RULER-BUTTON! 

Ahem. I have calmed down now.

I wrote most of this one while at work...eheh. Well, you see, I was doodling Sesshoumaru, and I started doodling Rin beside him, and then I thought...Rin's not sitting in a very lady-like position. What would Sesshoumaru say? The doodle is on my deviantart account. (Called "Contemplation.") Um I plead a case of extremely boring job...Can't wait to go back to school. Whee!

nyaaaaaauuuuuuuu


	2. Force of Nature

"I gave up long ago trying to make her hair stay flat."

"Oh, yeah?" Inuyasha paused, surprised at his brother's attempt to start a conversation. It was sort of surreal. Well, as long as Sesshoumaru wasn't trying to kill him, why not go along with it?

"Why did you even bother to try?"

"Because it did not befit my image to be seen running around with a human hedgehog."

Inuyasha blinked. Was Sesshoumaru _joking_?

"And now...?"

"Do not make this Sesshoumaru repeat himself. Besides, I have discovered that Rin is not really human."

"Oh no?" Inuyasha wanted to hear his explanation for _this_.

"No. Rin is an unstoppable force of nature."

Inuyasha watched as Rin and Sango played a game that involved slapping their hands together while Kagome simultaneously attempted to tie Rin's hair into an elaborate braid.

"Aah. I think I know exactly what you mean."


	3. Fearless

Fearless

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"They aren't like other humans...maybe they're actually a different species. One with friendliness programmed into the front of their brains."

Sesshoumaru did not know what "programmed" meant, but he got the general gist.

"And fear in the back," said Sesshoumaru so softly that Inuyasha had to blink before it registered, "They were never afraid of us."

"No. Kagome tried to befriend me practically before I was off the tree."

That sounded quite familiar to Sesshoumaru, and a dirty, gap-toothed grin flashed in his memory.

"Indeed," he said.

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AN: Well, I sort of forgot where I was going with that one, so it got cropped. Maybe they're more sketches than actual pictures...


	4. Hope

Hope

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"No," he said hoarsely, "Kagome would want me to live. And I imagine Rin would..."

"She probably would."

"We'll see them again."

"When we die?" Sesshoumaru laughed, a short laugh, and bitter. "We'll be in hell. We'll never see them again. Maybe if we are reincarnated," he mused.

"It's not the same," Inuyasha cut him off, "It's not the same at all. The soul is just the life-force, it's not...There will never be another Kagome or Rin alive..." And then Inuyasha's head snapped up. "Not for four or five hundred years..." he breathed.

"What?" said Sesshoumaru shortly, "Explain yourself."

"Kagome came from the future, didn't you know?"

Sesshoumaru was silent for several moments. Then he spoke, "Idiot. You all insisted she came from another world. Not another time. Besides, she died here. That would mean she left the future and came here, so her life will not go on in the future."

Inuyasha shook his head.

"But I have to have hope," he said, "If Kagome still exists somewhere, I have to believe I can find her."

"Hope," bit out Sesshoumaru, "Hope. How human of you."


	5. If

If

Contrary to popular belief,

Inuyasha did not think of Kikyou often.

When he did,

He would start at where it all went wrong.

If

He had trusted Kikyou

If

She had trusted him

Then Naraku would not have been able to take the jewel,

Or at least they would have realized what was going on

If

They had

Then

He wouldn't have been pinned to the tree

Kikyou might not have died

He wouldn't have slept dying for fifty years on a

Fucking

Tree

If

He hadn't been stuck on the damn tree

Then

Kagome would never have woken him up

Would

She even have fallen through the well?

Would

She….

But

Inuyasha didn't like the thought of a life without Kagome

So

He didn't think of it


	6. Juvenile Behavior

Juvenile Behavior

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"Hey, how come you're always giving Shippou things?"

Kagome raised her head.

"Why? Do you want presents, too?"

"No!" said Inuyasha very quickly, "All I'm saying is you're going to spoil the brat. He'll think he can get anything he wants."

"And what's wrong with that? Shippou's little. He's still a growing boy!"

"So am I!"

"Oh yeah? How old _are_ you?"

"Uh..." Inuyasha's face flushed, "I...don't know precisely. I suppose Sesshoumaru might...I sort of lost count when I was a kid. It didn't really matter then. Survival was more important..."

"Well _I_ have seen ten winters!" Shippou hopped up to Kagome's shoulder. "I know 'cause it was right after my ninth that my parents were killed."

"Oh, Inuyasha, I--"

"If you don't count the fifty years on the tree," Inuyasha loudly cut her off, refusing to let her say anything that might possibly be pitying, "I think twenty-something..."

"Really? You don't _look_ over twenty--"

"Yeah, well youkai age differently," Inuyasha cut her off once again, "Sesshoumaru's almost two centuries old, I think. Shippou's over ten, but he looks hardly older than a human _four _year old. Mind matches his body, too, eh, runt?"

"Butthead!" shrieked Shippou, using one of his favorite Kagome-time words. He was unable to wreak vengeance, however, as Kagome clamped him tightly to her front, so he settled for sulking into her shoulder and sticking his tongue out at Inuyasha. Inuyasha retaliated in kind. Kagome relaxed.

"So if the same applies to Inuyasha," mused Miroku, watching their little exchange, "I'd say he'd be the equivalent of fifteen or sixteen years old. I suppose that explains away his juvenile behavior--"

"Who the fuck asked you, bouzu!"

Miroku blinked and bolted. And suddenly they were engaged in a game of Chase-the-Miroku. Inuyasha won, of course. Miroku acquired three new bruises for his pains.

"Juvenile behavior...what a hypocrite," Sango snorted.

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AN:

Supreme huggles to all who've reviewed! Reading them makes me so happy!

This might be a little long to go with the others...but I thought it was an entertaining little scene all the same.


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